Here Are The Results of SurveyUSA News Poll #7132

Geography Surveyed: Continental United States
Data Collected: 10/06/2005
Release Date: 10/07/2005 8:00 AM ET
Sponsors: KAAL-TV Rochester-Mason City-Austin, KABC-TV Los Angeles, KATU-TV Portland, KEYE-TV Austin, KFOR-TV Oklahoma City, KGTV-TV San Diego, KING-TV Seattle, KJRH-TV Tulsa, KOB-TV Albuquerque, KPIX-TV San Francisco, KPNX-TV Phoenix, KPRC-TV Houston, KSAX-TV Alexandria, MN, KSDK-TV St. Louis, KSL-TV Salt Lake City, KSTP-TV Minneapolis, KTHV-TV Little Rock, KUSA-TV Denver, KVBC-TV Las Vegas, KWCH-TV Wichita, KXTV-TV Sacramento, WABC-TV New York, WBIR-TV Knoxville, WBTV-TV Charlotte, WBZ-TV Boston, WCAU-TV Philadelphia, WCSC-TV Charleston, WCSH-TV Portland, WDIO-TV Duluth, WDIV-TV Detroit, WFLA-TV Tampa, WFMY-TV Greensboro, NC, WFOR-TV Miami, WGRZ-TV Buffalo, WHAS-TV Louisville, WHEC-TV Rochester, WKMG-TV Orlando, WKRG-TV Mobile-Pensacola, WKYC-TV Cleveland, WLNE-TV Providence, WLTX-TV Columbia, SC, WMAR-TV Baltimore, WNEP-TV Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, WNYT-TV Albany, WOAI-TV San Antonio, WPTV-TV West Palm Beach, WSLS-TV Roanoke, WTLV-TV Jacksonville, WTVD-TV Raleigh, WUSA-TV Washington, DC, WXIA-TV Atlanta, WXIN-TV Indianapolis, WYTV-TV Youngstown, WZZM-TV Grand Rapids

Will Harriet Miers Be Confirmed? 43% of Americans today 10/7/05 say Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers will be confirmed by the United States Senate (down from 47% yesterday). 21% of Americans today say the full Senate will vote to reject Miers. 12% of Americans today say Miers will not make it to a vote before the full Senate. 900 adults nationwide were interviewed 10/6/05; 600 adults nationwide were interviewed 10/5/05. Tracking data is available.

Does Miers Have Potential To Be Great Justice? 13% of Americans today 10/7/05 say Miers has the potential to be one of the Supreme Court's greatest legal minds. 56% of Americans say she does not. By contrast, 39% of Americans today say newly sworn-in Chief Justice John Roberts has the potential to be one of the Supreme Court's greatest legal minds. The number of Moderates who say Miers has great potential has fallen from 25% two days ago to 11% today.

How Will History Judge Bush's Selection? 12% of Americans today 10/7/05 say President Bush's appointment of Miers will be seen as one of Bush's most brilliant decisions. 26% say the Miers pick will be seen as one of Bush's greatest mistakes. 55% today say the pick will have no historical significance. The number of Republicans who say "brilliant" dropped from 30% yesterday to 18% today.

Overall Impression of Miers? Among Republicans today, 42% have a favorable impression of Miers, up from 13% before Bush nominated her, according to the results of a separate SurveyUSA tracking poll of 900 adults nationwide conducted 10/6/05 and released today 10/7/05. 8% of Republicans have an unfavorable impression of Miers today. Among Democrats, 23% have a favorable impression, 21% have an unfavorable impression. Among Independents, 23% have a favorable impression today, 26% have an unfavorable impression. Tracking data is available.

Pollster Caveat: Gale-force political winds swirl, attempting to influence the outcome of the Miers nomination. Situation is complex, a game of 3-dimensional chess, with all parties attempting to maneuver for both short-term and long-term gain. Further destabilization likely. SurveyUSA daily track points should be interpreted as freeze-frame snap-shots of unique moments in time - moments of potentially great historical significance.

1
  Asked of 900 Adults
  Credibility Interval for this question = ± 3.3 percentage points.

Based on what you know now, will the United States Senate vote to confirm Harriett Miers as a Justice on the Supreme Court? Will the Senate vote to reject Miers? Will Miers not make it as far as a vote before the full United States Senate? Or, do you not know enough to say?

43% Vote To Confirm
21% Vote To Reject Miers
12% Will Not Make It To a Vote
24% Do Not Know

2
  Asked of 900 Adults
  Credibility Interval for this question = ± 3.3 percentage points.

Regardless of your own political beliefs, do you think John Roberts has the potential to go down in history as one of the Supreme Court's greatest legal minds?

39% Yes
33% No
28% Not Sure

3
  Asked of 900 Adults
  Credibility Interval for this question = ± 3.3 percentage points.

Regardless of your own political beliefs, do you think Harriett Miers has the potential to go down in history as one of the Supreme Court's greatest legal minds?

13% Yes
56% No
31% Not Sure

4
  Asked of 900 Adults
  Credibility Interval for this question = ± 3.3 percentage points.

Do you think the nomination of Harriett Miers to the Supreme Court will be seen by historians as one of President Bush's most brilliant decisions? as one of President Bush's greatest mistakes? Or will it have no historical significance?

12% Brilliant Decision
26% Greatest Mistake
55% No Historical Significance
7% Not Sure

x
  Complete Interactive Crosstabs
i
  Statement of Methodology
!
  © 2005 SurveyUSA / Contractual Obligations